Posting for traffic - UC question

[Needahandwithuc]

Hi - hoping posters can help me with a quick UC question. I'm a key worker and single parent and my childcare costs this month are much higher than usual. I'm putting in a claim for UC but I normally use tax free childcare.

Can I use tax free childcare and UC together? Eg if my childcare costs are £1500, can I use tax free childcare to get the 20% subsidy therefore only paying £1200, and then submit a claim to UC for the £1200 and get some of it back?

Or is it either/or (in which case I'll be better just claiming UC)?

Would be grateful for any advice! Thank you!

No, better off on UC.

See warning here, UC / Tax credits are terminated when you apply for tax free childcare, so usually you are better off not applying for it if you qualify for those benefits:

www.entitledto.co.uk/help/tax_free_childcare

This is an interesting one for me actually as usually I see it the other way round, rather than from the point of view of someone already getting tax free childcare, I think from the looks of it you are OK to get UC for any period in which you have not made a declaration for tax free childcare and are therefore not double dipping.

Thanks so much @Discustard that's really helpful!

I'll stick to UC only.

Yea I usually have a combo of after school club, combining forces with other single mums, and family, all of which help to keep costs manageable.

But since none of those options are available during lockdown, and I can't be furloughed, going to work got a lot more expensive...